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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · toast · bound · trunk · shower · lean · bay · board

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. shower — rain
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. board — to get on
  12. toast — bread
  13. bound — certain
  14. lean — to bend
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. board — a committee
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — to wash
  22. lean — thin
  23. bound — tied together
  24. lean — to rest against

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com